This is mischaracterizing what is going on. There is rampant speculation by multinationals buying up old housing stock and attempting to do the New York City model of hyperluxury renovations at the expense of existing residents.
Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
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Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#22"limiting profits is bad" says the worlds biggest pro-capital megaphone while referencing a company that usually does paid pro-business questionnaires. "As expected, rents in Berlin’s regulated market plummeted in relative terms." and "Newly built apartments have therefore become even more unaffordable for most people." They are not directly lying, but I'd count this as dishonesty by omission. Newly built apartments…
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#23I expected to agree with that article, but honestly the tradeoff seems reasonable. Given just the data presented there, is it actually worse if rent controlled apartments are hard to get if lots of people are also paying much less rent? I'd really want to see some data about lots of people wanting to move to or within Berlin who are not able to due to lack of supply. That data may well exist but isn't presented here.
Think about how much money a landlord has to invest with in keeping a property attractive to renters. What's the point?
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#24Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#25This is an opinion piece in bloomberg, a pro-business, pro-wealthy publication. Is there any surprise that they dislike rent controls?
This is true. Same logic goes for anti-vaxxers and doctors. Of COURSE doctors recommend going to doctors. They WOULD say that.
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#26Sounds like it is a massive success? Those units don't magically disappear, they are bought - by homeowners. It seems like the landlords were artificially driving up the housing market while not adding any value.
The only problem here is that they limited it to pre-2014 apartments. Maybe they should just extend it to all apartments instead.
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#27"limiting profits is bad" says the worlds biggest pro-capital megaphone while referencing a company that usually does paid pro-business questionnaires. "As expected, rents in Berlin’s regulated market plummeted in relative terms." and "Newly built apartments have therefore become even more unaffordable for most people." They are not directly lying, but I'd count this as dishonesty by omission. Newly built apartments…
"Communism is bad" says everybody I have ever met who lived in a communist country.
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is it worse if now there is a special class of people who happened to be in the right buildings at the right time when this law passed who will now forever get discounted rent, leaving everybody else to pay full price?
This sounds a lot like land ownership.
Re: Rent controls have split housing in Berlin into two distinct markets
#29I expected to agree with that article, but honestly the tradeoff seems reasonable. Given just the data presented there, is it actually worse if rent controlled apartments are hard to get if lots of people are also paying much less rent? I'd really want to see some data about lots of people wanting to move to or within Berlin who are not able to due to lack of supply. That data may well exist but isn't presented here.
Think about how much money a landlord has to invest with in keeping a property attractive to renters. What's the point?